We had also fitted some Highlander rear knuckles as they were also 26 spline axles but decided to modify the OEM 165 rear knuckles to accept the same Prius hubs.. here's what Seamus built and designed as well...

And unfortunately the front hubs/bearings failed again that weekend, twice! The second time being during the race. I started losing the brake pedal gradually and had to finish the last two laps with the handbrake... but finishing is what counts!

That was a good video. Nice coverage. I don't know how I missed it. Car seems pretty strong considering you have a few things to work out.

eric thompson wrote:We had also fitted some Highlander rear knuckles as they were also 26 spline axles but decided to modify the OEM 165 rear knuckles to accept the same Prius hubs.. here's what Seamus built and designed as well..

Well thats different.If possible, I think i would be more in favour of using the Prius front upright on the rear, make a new LCA and an extra bar to lock out the steering.

And unfortunately the front hubs/bearings failed again that weekend, twice! The second time being during the race. I started losing the brake pedal gradually and had to finish the last two laps with the handbrake... but finishing is what counts!

That was a good video. Nice coverage. I don't know how I missed it. Car seems pretty strong considering you have a few things to work out.

Confidence when threshold braking should account for improved laptimes... But if you notice my fastest laptimes was still 2.5 seconds off the fastest guys... Theres a lot more behind the scenes within the class regarding parity and how I personally view certain rules. Everyone thinks the Lotus should be removed mainly because it's a factory built race car, it's flat bottom, real down force generating vehicle that also makes good power, is light, and handles extremely well. Personally I like it! It's very limited beyond how it came from the factory and it's a hanging carrot as far as I'm concerned...But I think the SCCA needs to wake up and stop limiting areas that would help other vehicles, especially forced induction, catch up... Plus their balance system is antiquated. Power to weight makes sense but there's more to the equation. A given vehicle must use the Turbocharger originally equipped on the installed engine or 1 of 3 other approved alternates, Garret GT2554, K04, or VF30... None of which will give any performance advantage over a CT27. Then there the Turbo inlet restrictors based on weight. My car would get a 37mm but all RWD & AWD vehicles take a -2mm penalty. So I get 35mm... Which raises one of my concerns... Where in any of these Forced induction restrictions does engine displacement get factored in?? Yes, in the end airflow will be the limiting factor, but common sense tells me(for example) that comparing a 2.0L alltrac with a 35mm and a 2.5L STI at the same weight and 35mm, the engine with 25% more displacement will have a broader more usable powerband and make more power comparatively. And if the TIR is the best single limitation device, then why restrict what Turbocharger is allowed to be installed?? No matter how big it can only pull "X" amount of air through the TIR... Next is the Hondas, a built H22 or K24 will be, and obviously is, a powerhouse and they weigh between 2500-2700 lbs. A good 300-600lbs less than my alltrac. Making way more WHP. Insult to injury, the Lotus' also only weigh 2200-2400 lbs making more WHP too... Trust me when I say I am fighting the balance scales and also trying to squeeze everything I can from our CT setup. Contemplating running an 8cm 64 AR single scroll Turbine housing on a tubular exh manifold and ext WG just to reduce the restrictions on the hotside and give better boost control... I'm sure the difference will be negligible though. That's my rant for now

I noticed the announcer say you can use any engine from a manufacture as long as its the same displacement. Can you take a 3rd or 4th gen gte, which has a better VE and bigger turbo and maybe do better with it than the engine you are running? All these scca rules are the same reason the 185 isn't very competitive in most stock classes too unless you are building a full out race car.

EDIT: How much did you car tip the scales? Is there more places to shed some weight, or is it all about expensive composites at this point.

I'll pm you the rules. If memory serves correctly... me in full gear, 15 gallons of fuel and a full cool suit cooler(24 quarts) it was approx 3150 over the scales.I'm 175 in gear, 6.183 per lbs per gallon of fuel(92.75), and 8lbs per gallon of water(48lbs) rounding up that's 316 lbs... So she's 2834 +/-

CMS-GT4 wrote:I noticed the announcer say you can use any engine from a manufacture as long as its the same displacement. Can you take a 3rd or 4th gen gte, which has a better VE and bigger turbo and maybe do better with it than the engine you are running? All these scca rules are the same reason the 185 isn't very competitive in most stock classes too unless you are building a full out race car.

EDIT: How much did you car tip the scales? Is there more places to shed some weight, or is it all about expensive composites at this point.

May switch to a 4th gen 3SGTE later on but since my 185CS motor has minimal hours on it and was quite an investment with the COP, Billet CT27, and custom everything else, I'm going to see how much farther it can go... since the turbo is allowed to be modified for boost/wastegate control, i may switch to a single entry Supra turbine housing and custom tubular manifold to free up the restrictions on the hot side... trying to squeaze anything I can out of it. Also may opt for better gear ratios for a longer 1st gear and stack the rest closer together when I install the Quaife diff...

No composite body panels allowed except for Hood (which mine is FG) and trunk, which is really light with no glass in it.

Fought hard but P2 was the best I could manage. The 800lb difference and understeer were the deciding factor as my front tires began to melt by half distance... Not bad for a 30 year old ST165 w/ a 35mm restrictor vs an Exige cup...

CMS-GT4 wrote:I watched your race the other day. Good work. That lotus went wide into the grass. Did he ever recover or did that ruin his race.

He did recover unfortunately.... twice actually. He went off on lap 1 and again about half way but was able to chase me down both times... there's obviously a huge difference between our cars, something like 800lbs, so my tires don't hold up well by comparison. Especially when it's almost 90 degrees out like it was that day.

I'm still very happy with 2nd place even though my son doesn't look too thrilled up there with me. lol

Short Indy RunOffs recap... showed up 2 days late for Quali so only had 2 days left. Qualified 18/34 in STU and 19/22 in T1. My last STU quali session wouldve placed me 9th the previous day but everyone went faster... I should've showed up on day 1!The car is not built for T1, I run it to sort things out mostly, but since I made it to the big show of course I'm gonna race. Finished P15 in T1 and had a great race with a newer Mustang. Had a decent STU start but traffic sucked. Was up to 12th by lap 3 but a Rotary Miata blew an oil line in front of me at the turn 6 braking zone... i hit the brakes and went straight into the gravel trap. The front splitter dug in and got ripped off. RACE OVER! Was super bummed, screamed profanity's at the corner Steward for letting the Miata come back on track and onto the racing line which is actually how I got caught out.... but such is racing. We worked out some kinks and the plus is that it was 5th fastest in a straight line when looking at the lap charts post race.

Sonoma is the 2018 RunOffs location but the travel expense may be enough to count me out...